Ten days had passed in the intriguingly ancient city of Rome. Each day was spent in different parts of the city, whether it be at the colosseum or wandering the streets in search of the best comestibles Rome had to offer. From pastries to pasta to pizza, each was more mouth-watering than the next. Everything was authentic, including the delicious cappuccinos, a hot drink I was trying desperately to avoid as I soon found all my money- or more like it, Erik's money- being spent towards that. Exploring the city, while tiring, was one of the most fascinating experiences I had ever had in my life. Maybe it was because it was my first time travelling overseas, but everything I observed seemed to have some fascinating story behind it, and as old as some buildings were, they were maintained in such a way that they seemed enchanting. To the everyday townspeople this all might have seemed almost dulling to them, as they were used to the prospect, but in a tourist's eye, especially one that has lived in the same place her whole life, every detail was enlightening, inspiring me to want to travel all over the world one day. A shocking discovery I soon made was of the many folks-children and adults- who wandered late into the night on the main cobblestone streets. Children, unlike in Australia, went to sleep quite late normally. The citizens of Italy preferred to walk during the night, and I'd wonder if the streets seemed more alive at night than in the day. Justine, over the course of the past week, had accumulated so many clothes from so many different stores, that I couldn't help wonder if she really intended to bring them all back to Australia. She also didn't seem bothered by the idea that she was spending much of Erik's money, not that Erik seemed to mind all that much. Although once, I did catch him sigh as she bought yet another two bags worth of clothes and accessories.

I smile at the thought as I sit on the huge, queen-sized bed.

The first few days in Rome, while fun, had also been full of worry. For four or five days, I was paranoid that danger was just around the corner, awaiting the five of us. I thought I was the only one feeling that way until I caught Justine flinch when a man with a black jacket bumped past her. On the sixth day though, I had finally cast some of that fear to the back of my mind. It was clear that, for whatever reason, the dispatchers where not in Rome and were still searching for us in Queensland. Still, a nagging voice at the back of my mind would threaten to come out every now and again, wondering things like what if? What if they are actually here? What if they're just waiting for the right moment to strike? What if they're planning something so big that not even Erik would see it coming? Another thing that had happened over the course of this week was that, with the spare time on our hands, I had extra hours of training with Erik and especially Mark. Erik would always make sure to push me to my limit, and, although strenuous, I found the results satisfying. I actually have some muscle on my bones now, and my body seems quite toned. Kol didn't interrupt Mark's self-defence classes anymore, but occasionally he would pop up from who-knows-where and offer to teach me more of contact defences and attacks, an opportunity I took enthusiastically. The more I learnt, the better. We all seemed to grow closer together in what seemed like such a short week. Justine and I were closer than ever and Erik had become- well, almost like a father to me. As Erik was an intelligencer, he wasn't able to help me with any theft skills though, but that's when Justine came in. She was more than happy to help, teaching me all she knew from her parents. She would sometimes set me on 'missions' where I was to steal something, whether it be from a flea market, or an object on a person. I was mortified the first time she sent me on one of these quests, but despite my arguments, Justine merely grinned and said: "And then I want you to put it back without anyone noticing." Which made me even more nervous. Still, I eventually relented, and soon enough I was able to slip by people unnoticed. Erik would watch sometimes, and once commented that I was just like my dad. Surprisingly, his mentioning my father didn't make me as upset as usual, so I guess I must've been finally starting to move on. Still, I felt this nagging sense that I needed to finish what he started, that I couldn't leave his work uncompleted. It was a strange and unsatisfying sensation that only intensified when we couldn't track down any further clues.

I frowned, shaking the thought away and focusing on my developments I had made thanks to Justine's training.

When she had first set me on these mini quests, they were simple tasks, like stealing a mandarin from a fruit market, which, in reality, wasn't even all that easy- but still, I knew this sort of career got much harder than stealing a simple fruit. If I wanted to continue this and accept it as an actual job, then I'm sure it would get a lot more dangerous too.

I bite my lip in worry. Erik seems so good at all this. It's like... second nature to him.

Training with Erik was a little different. He would teach me how to spy on people, and how to tail them. This was just the basics, he had told me. There was much more to come when I was ready. I found that, although Erik was a bit rough around the edges, and had a bit of an odd sense of humour, I seemed to grow closer to him each day.

I hug a gold linen pillow. I wasn't sure whether to feel ashamed about that- Erik being like a father to me. I wouldn't call that replacing my dad... right? I shake my head. No, Dad will always be that- my Dad, my real dad. Dead or alive it doesn't matter.

Just at that moment, Justine decided to enter my room, which was just as well, as I needed a distraction from my constantly wandering thoughts.

"Still no sign of them." Justine sighs, leaning against one of the tall bed posts. "Which is good I guess, but... you know... it's, weird."

I shake my head, thinking of Thorn and his companions. "I don't get it. They're basically professional trackers." And deadly ones. I add in my head. "Wouldn't they have found us by now?"

Justine shrugs. "I have no idea how good they really are. Apparently they're supposed to be the best. The best of the worst, that is."

I cross my arms. "It's eating away at him, isn't it?"

Justine nods reluctantly, twisting her hair into a bun absent-mindedly, before letting her hair cascade back down onto her shoulders. "Erik hasn't come out of his room in hours. He hates not knowing things. I think it makes him feel like he's failed his job, and us."

I stand up in frustration. "No he hasn't. We've been looking everywhere for this gold ever since we got here."

Justine smiles sadly. "That's the thing. Between the shopping and the sightseeing, you would have thought we'd find something by now. Usually it doesn't take Erik this long to figure out a clue but... but he still hasn't. No of us have."

I open my mouth to answer, but close it. It was true, and I knew it. Erik had made me evaluate practically every page of that album. He would ask me questions about my childhood, where my dad and I planned to travel in Italy, but no matter how deep I dug, we had nothing. We visited every important sight, and not a clue was found. The good news was that after so many walks down memory lane, it didn't hurt as much as before- thinking about my father.

I pace up and down. Erik, though he tried not to show it, seemed to be falling into despair. Whether the assassins were here or not right now, chances are they'd find us eventually, and we can't keep on living like this. If there was anything I learnt about Erik, it's that he loves to strive in what he does. He always needs to know what's happening, and most of all, he cares for us all as if we were his own. He took full responsibility for our safety, health and accommodation without once complaining. Even Kol, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, soon became one of Erik's first priorities, along with the rest of us.

"It's not Erik's fault," I say stubbornly.

"I know!" Justine cries, a hint of exasperation in her voice. "But try telling him that. Mark's tried, I've tried... it's useless! Every day that we go without a lead, Erik blames it on himself. He tries to hide it, but I'll bet you he's barely gotten any sleep."

"That's it," I mutter, storming out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Justine calls.

"To talk with Erik." I call behind me, trying, but failing to shut the door quietly.

***

After Erik had reluctantly let me inside his suite with a bit of a grunt, I had to withhold a gasp of shock. Sheets of papers were strewn across the floor, some crumpled and thrown into the far corner of the room, others lay at the foot of the bed. I notice the bedsheets were barely crippled.

"Well, you haven't slept much," I state accusingly.

"Well, aren't you quite the observer now?" Erik mutters. "That'll show me to teach a kid how to spy and become more aware."

I ignore the comment and go to sit down on a chair, when I think better of it. Something stained the leathery chair. A spilt tea cup on the round glassy table explained it. I sigh and draw open the curtains. Bright, afternoon light streams through the window, and I note that Erik squints, blinking slowly. I never thought Erik to be messy, which made the situation all the more worrying.

"Erik, it's okay. It's only been..." I hesitate. "It's only been ten days, I'm sure..." I stop when Erik looks at me wearily, then snorts.

"Ten days? Audrey, it may only be 'ten days' to you, but to me, I have been searching far longer than just ten days."

I draw in a quick breath, trying to strategically think of how to talk to him. Before I have the chance to speak however, Erik continues, muttering angrily more to himself than to me.

"Ever since your father encountered this dratted organisation two years ago we have been in danger!" Erik paces angrily up and down the room, his eyebrows were furrowed in deep thought.

"I have investigated far and wide trying to grasp any information I could about them, and the most I would ever get is a few names and where they might hit next. Might mind you!" Erik picks up a stack of paper, dropping them into my hands.

"Every time your father and I thought we had a hold of them, they were always one step ahead of us. How? I have no clue. I'm not even sure if they are assassins. They kill people, yet sometimes, there is no word about them for weeks. They've been located in some strange places, and they've stolen from others too. Assassins don't do that." Erik shakes his head, rubbing his temples.

He turns towards me, a grim expression in his eyes. "All I know for sure is that they will not hesitate to kill. Someone is leading this organisation... maybe if I just found out who..." Erik mumbles something incoherently as I ruffle through a few of the papers. Some were of locations, presumably of where the hit-men had been. What I assumed could only be Erik's tiny scrawl was over many pages, all notes on the organisation. Most of the notes, I noticed with disappointment, were things that weren't of much importance, like their names, where they had been. There seemed to be a whole record of where they had been seen over the past year.

"At least you have their names," I say in a small, pathetic voice. Quite frankly, I wasn't sure what to make of the situation. There wasn't much I could say that would comfort him. Erik grabs the piece of paper I was holding up and inspects it.

He rolls his eyes, shaking his head. "These aren't even their real names! Does Thorn sound like a common name to you?"

I shrug. "Well..." I start.

Erik shakes his head in disgust at the paper and crumples the sheet, tossing it into another corner of the room.

"I didn't want to leave your father's work uncompleted." A sudden emptiness fillx me. Neither do I. "But..." Erik motions with a sweeping gesture around the room. "I don't know if there's much else I can do... I'm sorry Audrey."

I dump the papers on the ground angrily. "No, stop it. You can't just give up like that."

Erik begins to speak but I talk over him.

"No. I know you guys have been friends almost your whole life, and it must've sucked for you when he died, but you know what sucks more?" Erik looks at me, expressionless, and I go on. "When your own father dies. That sucks. A lot. Especially if you were as close to him as I was. Because I knew him from the day I was born. He knew me. He might not have always been home, but he made up for it. He was my dad, and I owe it to him to finish this for him." My hands start to tremble and I'm not certain what I feel more, rage or hurt. "My dad's gone, but he would've wanted us to finish what he started." I insist. "He trusted you because he knows you'll finish the job no matter what it takes." I take a deep breath and continue when I see Erik is silent. "We might not know much about the assassins, but we are now closer than you have ever been before to finding this damned gold. I don't know what we'll do after that, but right now, we don't have much options, and I'm not going to let you give up on me, or on him."

I step closer to Erik. "We're getting close. I know it. You can't give up now. You haven't failed anyone yet, but we need to finish this Erik." I take in a deep breath. "I can't finish my dad's mission without you. I'm not experienced enough yet." I hold his gaze steadily. "I'm not going home until we finish this."

Erik shakes his head, but the ghost of a smile appears on his lips. I beam at him. "Let's get this over with. The sooner we do, the sooner we can go home, and I think Mum would be happy to see you again. I'd be happy to see you two together more often."

Erik chuckles. "Alright Audrey, no need to over exaggerate..."

"No," I shake my head. "I mean it. And maybe one day..." I pause, uncertain for a moment. But the moment was brief, and went as soon as it came. "I think one day you'd make a good step-father too," I add quietly.

Erik stares in brief astonishment, before wrapping me in a huge bear hug, patting me reassuringly on the back. "You didn't need to worry Audrey. I wasn't going to give up, things at the moment just seem a little... hopeless," he shakes his head, "A bit..." he pauses again, thinking of the right way to put it.

"Deceptive?" I offer and he nods.

"Every time we think we've figured something out, it's not what we thought it'd turn out to be... but," he shrugs tiredly, giving me a small smile. "We'll find a way."

He lets go of me and I wink cheerfully at him. "I never had a doubt we wouldn't."

About a half hour later, I walked outside with Erik, Mark, Justine and Kol. It wasn't often that we would walk together as a pack. Most of the time, Mark would go off with Erik, me or Justine, or simply walk on his own if Kol was talking to either one of us. Justine and I were almost always together, shopping and whatnot. But the five of us were rarely ever walking all together at the same time, even when we were searching for some clue.

"Wow, we're actually all sticking together today," I say out loud, mostly just to make conversation.

"Oh my gosh!" Justine points to a glass window on the far side of the street. "No way! Are those stilettos on sale?" Justine rushes over to the store, and just like that, five became four.

"Spoke too soon," I mutter.

"It's okay Audrey. You'll always have me," Kol smiles crookedly at me.

Ever since we had arrived at Rome, something had changed between the two boys. Mark was acting strangely around me, always seeming as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't, and Kol was even more flirtatious than usual, something that, up until a week ago, I didn't think possible. Any chance he got, he was always groping at the chance to remark about how 'beautiful' I looked or, like in this case, claiming to stick by me always. At first I was uncomfortable with the new changes with the two of them, but, seeing as there was nothing I could do about it, I would just shrug it off. Whenever Justine caught them behaving like this around me, she would raise her eyebrows suggestively at me, a habit I was intent on making her break.

Mark furrows his eyebrows, glaring at the ground. Erik glimpses at Mark, questioningly.

"Right," Erik clears his throat. "Time for some intelligence training. You'll do the usual." Erik explains briefly. "Find someone in the crowd, tail them without noticing for at least a full ten minutes. Observe and take mental note on appearance, how they walk, etcetera." The four of us stop walking and Erik continues speaking. "Normally, I would get you to tail two people and tell me their conversation and what you think of it, but seeing as we're in Italy..." Erik gestures around to the people walking in the streets. A couple walk past, speaking to each other in what sounded to me like fluent gibberish. I managed to pick up on one word- bene- which I knew meant good.

"This time though, I want you to apply a little of your thieving skills towards this person. Steal something off them, anything." Erik smiles, satisfied. "Then return it to them of course. Without them noticing."

Used to being set up with hard tasks, I'm about to walk off to find someone to tail, when Erik stops me.

"Not so fast," Erik holds up a hand in order to stop me from walking any further.

"What?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"While you do all this, you must also avoid us," Erik points between himself, Mark and Kol.

I stare incredulously at the three of them. Kol smirks. Mark looks amused, and Erik couldn't look more serious.

"You're joking," I say bluntly.

Erik continues to stare at me with that same, monotonous look.

I sigh. "Fine! Fine! You know that's so unfair though? Especially against you! You've been at this for years!"

Erik raises his eyebrows. "So? Are you going to give up? You know, someone once told me that it's important not to give up no matter..."

"Yeah, yeah." I say, silencing him. Using my own advice against me. Real smooth. I roll my eyes, but can't help hiding a smile.

"I'll tell you what, we'll turn around, and give you a ten second head start," Erik compromises.

"Wow, how thoughtful of you," I murmur.

The three face the opposite way, and I take the chance to slip in with the crowd. Moving at a brisk pace, but not too fast, so as not to be spotted immediately. I look up at the sky. The sun had almost set. Darkness will conceal me. As long as it's not too dark. I can't help adding bitterly. Surprisingly, the more I trained myself for the life as a thief and intelligencer, the more I had become accustomed to the idea of utilising darkness as concealment. Still, the thought scared me from time to time. I hope there never comes a time when I'll be in a pitch black room. I shudder, and, realising my thoughts had wandered, I focused back on where I was walking. I see a short, stubby woman who looked to be maybe in her sixties or seventies, walking alone. Older people can be good targets. They aren't as active and don't always notice their surroundings. If something went missing, they might assume they had misplaced it or don't remember. I marvel at how quickly I had analysed my target. I glance behind me, but the three have vanished. I feel a sudden burst of adrenaline and apprehension. I tail the old lady and check my watch. Seriously? It's only been like four minutes! I scan the area around me, but I was well and truly covered by the crowd of people. Okay, I just need to do this for six more minutes, and then I win. I just have to get something off this woman first... I try to observe every detail of the lady, noting how she walks, what she wears- all clues as to how to tell who she is and where she comes from. I ask myself questions like, does she wear expensive brands? Does she have a ring on her finger indicating that she's married? As it becomes slightly more crowded, I decide it's the perfect opportunity to 'bump' past her and grab something off her. I notice the black, Prada bag. She hadn't zipped it up properly either. Perfect. I got to move in when I notice Erik a few metres ahead, searching the crowd. I swiftly look down. How did he get there so fast? I curse under my breath and weave my way through the crowd. Luckily, the lady turns a corner, but I've lost my chance to steal something from her. Oh well, just be patient. The moment will present itself to those who wait. I think to myself. I take in my surroundings and notice that the woman is walking alongside the Tiber River at Lungotevere. I had been there just two days ago. It was a beautiful site, with an amazing view of St. Peter's Basilica, one of the largest churches in the world. It also overlooked Castel Sant'Angelo, a towering cylindrical building. Lungotevere, I decided, was one of my favourite sites to see in Rome, as it was also the best view of the Tiber Island, the only island in the Tiber River which runs through Rome. I watch the shimmering water, not a ripple in sight. As dusk drew, I found myself loving the river even more as it reflected the light of streetlamps, making it glisten all the more. I turn my attention back to the woman, only to find myself face to face with Kol. I shriek and quickly cover my mouth. I breathe out, calming myself.

"Seriously Kol?" I hold out a hand to my chest, my heart racing a million miles a minute.

Kol grins. "Does your heart stop every time you lay eyes on me?"

"Ha ha very funny," I shake my head at him and try to peek past Kol at the old lady, who had seemingly stopped to observe the view. There was something peculiar about her that I couldn't quite place. Her face was slightly angled away, but I couldn't help feeling a familiarisation towards the woman. I step around Kol and am about to continue a few more steps towards her, when he grabs my arm, and I turn to face him.

"What are you doing?" I cock my head to the side and look into his dark, playful eyes.

He shrugs, letting go of my arm. "I caught you. Game over."

I look him up and down suspiciously. "Tell me. How did you find me before Erik?"

Kol smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Does it matter?"

"You cheated." I accuse. "You looked when Erik told you to turn, didn't you?"

Kol's eyes widen in mock surprise. "Me? Cheat? Never! I merely peeked!"

I laugh, forgetting the woman for the time being. Kol steps in closer, shortening the distance between us.

"Well I couldn't very well let you run all alone in this big city."

"Something tells me I would've been fine." I think of stepping back to create some space between us, but I hold my ground. I'm sick of always feeling nervous when people talk to me this close. I'm not backing away this time.

"Yeah, you're right," for a split second the playful twinkle in Kol's eyes is replaced with a cold stare. "After all, the white knight in shining armour, Mark, could always come to your rescue."

I raise my eyebrows at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The sparkle returns to his eyes again and he smiles at me. "Nothing."

I notice that Lungotevere is lined with beautiful trees, the long branches stretched downward towards the water. Kol lifts my chin slightly, forcing me to look straight into his coal-like eyes. The wind picked up slightly, tousling Kol's shiny black hair. I catch my breath. Somehow, even closer to him now, he seemed striking in his dark grey jacket and jeans. For a long while, there is silence between us. A part of me wants to pull away, but I stay as if entranced.

"Are you going to kiss me or something?" I tease, mustering up the courage to sound casual. The tension breaks and Kol grins. I pull away, glad to put a little distance between us.

"I don't know, am I?" there was something in the way Kol said it, that made me wonder if he was being serious or not.

"What?" I laugh nervously, uncertain on how to react.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" Kol raises an eyebrow at me and I feel myself flush.

"What is that supposed to mean now?" I stutter.

"This," With one swift stride Kol closes the distance between us completely, lips against mine for one split second. He pulls away almost instantaneously that I wonder if that really just happened. I hold a finger up to my lips. My first kiss. I blink at Kol, who grins.

"You kissed me," I say dumbly, because I felt like I need to say something.

"So I did." Kol answers.

"Audrey!" I hear Erik's voice call a few metres behind Kol. "Behind you!"

I swivel and find myself facing the old woman I was tracking. By instinct, I take a step back, right into Kol. Embarrassingly I move away from him.

"Were you watching me?" the woman asks gruffly. The peculiar feeling was back, and I think back to how it was strange that she happened to stop just when I did. Her bright green eyes bore into mine with some fierceness. Her brown hair was pulled tightly into a bun, giving her that air of authority I sensed from her.

"You were watching me!" the woman points out, indignantly with a thick Italian accent.

"You speak English?" I say, astonished, forgetting that I had asked an Italian woman a question in English.

"Of course I do!" the woman tutted.

By this time, Erik had caught up. He narrowed his eyes at the woman, before quickly raising his eyes in surprise. "Helen!" Erik cried, and the woman breaks into a smile as the two embraced.

A look of confusion crosses my face. "It's been a while," the older woman nods.

She inspects me once more, this time not as sternly. "Mamma mia!" the woman Helen claps a hand on my shoulder. "You're turning out to be a little female Michael!" she smiles kindly.

I smile uncertainly at her. "I'm sorry, who are you?" I ask politely.

"You don't recognise your own nonna?" Helen waggles a fat finger at me, tutting.

I stare at her in surprise, finally realising why she had looked so familiar to me. "Grandma?"

Her first kiss, stolen by Kol! :O Thoughts?

Don't forget to vote! <3